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Critical Mass

Senior Paid Search Strategist

Critical Mass, Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60290

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As the

Senior Paid Search Strategist , you will own the creation, execution, and optimization of paid search campaigns, acting as a strategic SEM lead and advisor for enterprise-level brands. This role works as part of an integrated SEO/SEM team to develop holistic search strategy. You’ll provide leadership and expertise in account structure and setup, ongoing budget and bid management, and continuous performance optimization. You’ll collaborate across multiple teams and disciplines, present data‑driven insights, and deliver actionable performance reporting to clients. You’ll be responsible for defining and communicating SEM goals, maintaining client satisfaction, and educating both internal and external teams on the evolving SEM landscape and its opportunities.

You Will:

Drive the ongoing development, implementation, and optimization of SEM strategy for national brands with $1M+ budgets

Work as part of an integrated SEO/SEM team, aligning paid and organic search strategies to reduce costs while maximizing holistic search performance

Translate business goals to SEM platform activation strategies/tactics

Own the hands‑on execution and management of day‑to‑day performance for multiple campaigns, including budget pacing, campaign setup, account structure, targeting strategy, bid strategy, platforms, data usage, performance optimizations, testing strategy, troubleshooting, and downstream client funnel optimization

Be the SEM point of contact and trusted advisor for clients

Clearly communicate paid search best practices and strategies, both internally and externally

Create and share search POVs and case studies across the agency

Develop consistent account processes and procedures

Craft compelling ad copy and guide CRO strategies to drive high‑quality traffic and conversions

Deliver actionable insights to clients through insightful, visually compelling reports (including analysis and strategic recommendations)

Identify market and consumer trends, telling a story with search data

Run iterative testing strategies to drive incremental performance lifts

Map out search tactics and strategies on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual basis

Conduct regular SEM audits and competitive analyses to identify net‑new opportunities

Provide data‑driven insights and recommendations to refine our strategy and improve campaign performance

Stay on top of the latest trends in the SEM landscape, keeping clients educated and adapting our search strategies as needed in response

You Have:

5+ years of hands‑on experience managing and optimizing paid search campaigns with large spends

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly and persuasively articulate paid search strategies

Strong presentation and storytelling skills, with an emphasis on data visualization

High attention to detail

Proven success in optimizing SEM campaigns and achieving substantial improvements in performance over time

High proficiency in industry‑standard SEM tools (e.g. SA360, Google/Microsoft Ads, GA4, Google Tag Manager, and Google Ads Editor)

Ability to react quickly, assess, and implement solutions

Excellent data analysis and problem‑solving skills

A passion for testing and learning and a proactive approach

Ability to mine search data for campaign performance insights, uncovering opportunities to drive ROI

Passion for staying current in a rapidly evolving digital environment, leveraging new AI tools and techniques to gain a competitive edge

Experience with other Google campaign types (e.g. Discover, Video, Display, Shopping/Merchant Center, etc.) and social campaigns a plus

Experience with local or state‑level paid search campaigns

What We Offer:

Global maternity and parental leave

Competitive benefits packages

Vacation, compassionate leave, wellness days, and flex days

Summer Fridays (off at 3:00 PM local time every Friday)

Diversity and Inclusion Board with 13 affinity groups

Enterprise‑wide employee discounts

Salary Range

$90,000 - $100,000 USD

Critical Mass is an equal opportunity employer.

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